Anamnesis
by Yessica-N
Summary: You break the barrier. You save the Underground. You wake up in a hospital bed. (Reader insert - Reader is Frisk. Sort of human-AU, but not really)
**This story is definably... different from what I usually write. This plot idea jumped up on me some time ago and wouldn't let me go as long as I did not write it. There is actually more to it than what I wrote here, but it was already getting way too long.**

 **I guess you could consider this Human AU, though not really the way it is usually done. I hope you will just give it a chance and let me know what you think.**

 **My tumblr is as follows, in case you wanted to strike up a conversation about this story: blog/sharada-n**

* * *

"I don't want to let go." He says, voice breaking ever so slightly on the last syllable.

You don't know what to say, so you stay silent, hands tightening minutely in that childish striped-sweater.

You feel his fur brush against your face and the wet tear tracks down his cheeks.

You don't want to let go either.

Don't want to lose this comforting warmth and the soft heaving of his chest against your own.

But the world is already starting to shatter, blinding white filling your vision.  
A sort of acute self-awareness leaves you light-headed, while somehow also making you feel oddly detached.

Like standing just a few inches besides your body.

You open your eyes slowly, only then realizing you had closed them in the first place.

Everything is still too bright, but it's a different shade. Somehow more real than before.

There is also sound. Beeping and the shifting of movements. The dim noise of far away voices heard through the wall.

The air is heavy with a smell best described as clinical, though someone obviously went through the trouble to try and cover it up.

It makes you want to gag, but your stomach feels surprisingly empty and weird.

Everything feels weird. Dull and sedated.

Trying to move feels like slouching through mud, but a least you're lying on something soft and warm.

With entirely too much effort you manage to shift your head and regard your surroundings.

Hospital, a voice inside your head helpfully provides.

Frowning is still very much out of the question as far as your newly awakened motor skills are concerned, but you do manage an awkward frown.

This can't be right...

You close your eyes and drift away.

* * *

You wake up again, and thankfully find a bare-able lack of brightness and sound.

There are others in the room with you, you notice. They're also children, lying in beds very much like your own, with wires and tubes attached at weird angles.

Definably a hospital.

By the fact that they're all sleeping, as well as how dark the room is, the only light a muted illumination coming from a creak under the door, you judge it to be the middle of the night.

You are vaguely aware that there should be a button for you to press somewhere nearby, to call somebodies attention to the fact you are awake and in need of help.

But even if you had the eye-hand coordination to search it out, you wouldn't press it.

You are beset with a growing tension, equal parts confusion and panic.

Why are you here?

You had broken the barrier. You had liberated the underground.

Where are your friends and why are you not with them?

They wouldn't just leave you here, would they? After all you had been through. After running away and falling and fighting and killing and resetting and fixing your mistakes again and again and again-

The surge of anxiety leaves you slightly breathless, which is not a beneficial thing considering your already less than optimal oxygen intake. The monitor besides you starts making distressed little noises in time with your hammering heartbeat.

You scrunch your eyes closed again in a vain attempt to ignore reality, your own mind screaming a mantra of how-why-when-...

The door opens and somebody is besides your bed. The noise almost immediately quietest down, and you find yourself feeling dully grateful. Then they speak.

"Calm down, Kiddo. Everything's gonna be fine."

If ever anything would have given you a heart attack at such a young age, it would be that instant.

That voice.

An overwhelming amount of relief floods every ounce of your system, head snapping up to see-

"S-Sans?" your voice sounds unsteady from disuse, not that you use it much in the first place. Verbal communication was never your forte.

But now it had escaped your throat in a sort of breathless call of utter confusion, with a slight edge of disappointment.

The person standing at your bedside is not Sans.

There are some noteworthy points of comparison. Like the voice that snapped you out of your panic attack, the overall demeanor that somehow seems identical to the monster you came to know, even some of the outward resemblances.

But there is one glaringly obvious and extremely crucial difference.

The Sans you know is not a human.

And the one standing besides you most definably is.

The perplexity racing through your body is somehow mimicked on his face, though for entirely different reasons you presume.

After a second he regains his relaxed posture, easy smile slipping back into place.

"Uh...Yeah. That's me. Kind of weird how you knew that." His eyes dart away for a second, a movement made easier by the addition of eyeballs. "Maybe Paps was right after all..."

The last part was more of a mumble, obviously addressing himself rather than you, but you tense slightly non the less.

The mention of the other skeleton brother manages to both relax you and put you more on edge.

You want to ask about what's going on, try and test the water about what this Sans remembers or knows, but tiredness has started gnawing at your consciousness and you feel yourself slipping away.

A hysteric fit may not be the best start for regaining your health.

Sans is saying something again, but your brain fails to register it properly, already halfway to the blessed numbness of sleep.

You think it has something to do with doctors and a coma and there's a pun somewhere in there, but you can't quite make it out.

Then there's nothing.

* * *

The next morning you meet your other monster friends.

Though they are not your friends anymore. Not in the way you envisioned.

They're medical staff and hospital personal and patients.

They're also not monsters anymore, but very much human.

The entire ordeal leaves you lost and confused, mind reeling at the absurdity of it all, but like always your face remains impassive.

You've always been good at masking your emotions, preferring to keep an outward neutral expression while being a hysterical mess on the inside.

The other kids at the orphanage called you weird. You couldn't really care less what they call you.

The girl in the bed across from yours smiles at you shyly. She looks ready to burrow underneath the sheets in embarrassment, but you smile back encouragingly.

She hasn't talked to yet in this world, hasn't told you her name, but she has been singing when she thinks nobody is listening and you have hummed along to the familiar tune.

You still call her Shyren in your mind, even if it's not her real name.

The boy in the other bed has managed to slip away again, roaming the hallways to observe the doctors at their work. You know it will only be a matter of time before Undyne, the pediatrician, drags him back in here, but at least he has a slightly better chance now that he has actually arms.

He still trips all the time, though.

The thought barely comes to you, or Undyne marches in to deposit the tiny escapee back where he belongs, the kid all the while gushing about how he's going to be a doctor when he grows up.

You grin some more at the scene. It's really remarkable how Undyne can run the pediatric unit with an iron fist, much the same as her other version ran the royal guard.

At least she's not swinging magical spears around, though the way you have seen her handle needles slightly unnerves you.

* * *

They ask you about the accident. They want to know if you remember running away from the foster home, and you do. You also remember the part where you got lost in the woods, tried to get to higher ground to orient yourself better, and ended up taking an unfortunate fall.

It is at this point that your memories and theirs start to differ.

They talk about search parties and dehydration and hypothermia and the intensive care. About broken bones, which you know to be true by the simple fact that both your legs are currently in braces.

They talk about major internal trauma, forcing them to keep you in a state of induced coma until Doctor Alphys though it safe to reduce the sedation.

And yes, while in such a state you may experience hallucinations or dreams, an altered state of awareness. You might still be able to hear or feel things, which your brain tries to interpret and merge with your unconscious experiences...

long story short, it had all been a dream.

People always told you you had too much imagination.

* * *

Papyrus brings you spaghetti three times a day, because his opinion on the hospitals cafeteria food is a strong one and he really rather not see you consume it. It's already bad enough that Sans goes there all the time, including each and every break he gets. (and the ones he doesn't get but takes anyway when no ones looking)

You have strong opinions on Papyrus's spaghetti too, but swallow them along with the burnt noodles and sauce. He gets so excited about the fact somebody likes his cooking, you feel like it's totally worth it and finish the entire plate.

While you're eating he talks about what it's like to be an intern for 5 years now and still waiting to officially be pronounced a resident by Undyne.

He's adamant it will happen any day now. You have your doubts after seeing him faint while trying to apply an IV, because there was blood involved (just a drop, really).

But you nod and smile and feel like maybe things are not so different after all.

After Papyrus leaves to proceed his rounds, Sans brings you fries or a burger as some sort of compensation.

"Man, isn't my brother cool." He says, while sipping a ketchup packet that was supposed to be part of your meal.

And you decide that no, things are not different at all.

* * *

Sans tells you about how Papyrus was the one who started it, talking to you while you lay motionless and unresponsive, recovering from your injuries. Some medical journeys claim it has positive effects on the patients healing process.

None of these claims where proven as true yet, but the younger brother is anything if not an optimist.

You have a nagging feeling it has something to do with the fact that there was no one else that came to visit you. No one else who remotely cared what happened to you.

A bitter laugh had to be bit down at the thought. Why did they think you ran away in the first place...

You distract yourself by thinking about the impossibility of it all. How accurate the images your mind conjured were to the real thing, even those that you only heard about second hand.

It almost seems to border on the absurd, making you wonder if there is more going on than meets the eye after all.

But really, the only sign of magic being an actual thing you experienced since waking up, was spotting who you assumed to be RG 01 and 02 walking hand in hand down the hospital hallway, on some errand for Undyne.

Good thing you wouldn't need to play matchmaker for them again. There is probably some policy against getting half-naked in a hospital.

* * *

Slowly you start to adjust to the idea of your journey through the Underground being a fabrication of your own mind.

While you are stuck in a hospital bed, you have more than enough time to think about the various happenings from your adventure and the people or events in the real world that correspond with them.

And while you are far from making all the connections, part of what you dreamt was simply your own fantasies, and you find peace not knowing.

Besides, the world has not changed so much after all.

Sans is still the lazy, pun-loving older brother like you knew him. Papyrus is still the most compassionate person you've ever met.

Undyne does everything she interests herself in with the utmost enthusiasm, maybe a bit too much so. Alphys is still hesitant and shy, bending under great responsibilities she doesn't think she can handle.

And those two still tip-toe around each others true feelings in the most obvious way possible.

It kind of irritates you, seeing as you had already fixed that particular relationship in the underground, but you guess you can make them hook up again.

It might even be fun.

* * *

It's after a full 24 hours that you finally get to meet mettaton, and it's a almost a miracle it took him that long.

He is the first one to greet you with another name, though you almost instantly forget it, as at that time your mind was still getting used to the idea of all your friends actually being humans in the first place.

He is loud and flashy and utterly convinced of his own entertainment value. So nothing new there.

Later you hear Doctor Alphys had initially hired him to take care of the administration, but (not) Mettaton has other ideas about the matter.

To him this is just a side-job to tide himself over until his acting/singing/dancing career takes of, and in the meantime he finds a willing audience in the hospital patients.

You are slightly surprised at first to find he has an actual fanbase, but soon understand why. In the monotony that is the hospital existence, lying in bed all day as you are, any distraction is a welcome one.

And the other hospital staff find him incredibly amusing too, leaving him with quite a considerable amount of fans, maybe even more than his underground counterpart had.

Somehow, you're not sure how to feel about that revelation.

* * *

At some point you realize the voice in your head, guiding you through the underground in less than optimal ways, is just that. A voice in your head.

There is no real world person to link it to. You can't blame somebody else for some of the atrocious things you did under that voices guidance, even if they now turn out to be unreal.

They where plenty real to you when you took a knife and-

The realization keeps you awake at night, or even wakes you up from peaceful sleep by causing horrible nightmares.

In this case, knowing your journey through the underground never happened might actually be a relieve.

* * *

For a lot of the other monsters, it takes a lot longer to meet them, or you are not certain if it's even them at all.

Maybe you are just saying it's them because the familiarity makes you feel at ease.

It also keeps your brain busy, not having to think about what happens when you are recovered. When you don't need to be in the hospital any longer.  
When they take you back there, away from your friends.

It frightens you.

You meet whom you think to be Napstablook, working administration alongside Mettaton. You assume it's him because of the constant headphones and the sad look he has whenever Mettaton leaves his post to go entertain patients instead.

You meet Grilby (slightly less of a fire hazard in this world) and Burgerpants (cheery as ever) working in the cafeteria, the first time Sans takes you up there.

Nice cream guy works at the gift shop and sometimes gives you a free piece of candy when nobody else is looking. There's a hand-written message of encouragement on the inside of the wrapper and you collect them under your pillow, so you can take them out and reread them whenever you feel less than fine.

You are genially surprised when you find Muffet working on the neonatal unit, until you see the devotion and care she displays for her small patients, perfectly mirroring her motherly instincts towards her dear spider family.

She bakes sweets at home, than aggressively tries to sell them to patient and staff alike, insisting she needs to fund certain medical equipments her unit is lacking, and the hospital can't afford. Not many manage to refuse her, mainly because the look on her face if you do, is downright murderous.

Sometimes you wonder, how all these people could somehow have been translated so well within your dream. How it could be that you recognize them so effortlessly now.

* * *

One day you realize Temmie is nowhere to be found. Considering they might be an original creation of your own imagination fills you with dread.

* * *

It takes you the longest to meet Toriel and Asgore again.

You were just starting to debate asking somebody about their whereabouts, though you had a hard time finding a way to breach the subject.

The revelation that you know most of the personals names without every being introduced to them already freaked out your new-old friends enough as it was.

They were the ones that build the hospital, as you already deduced, as well as running it.

Both steadfastly avoid the pediatric ward.

Asgore preferring to run things from the safety of his office, drinking tea and doing everything in his limited powers to keep everyone as happy as possible. Undyne once mentions he has a hard time dealing with the realities of being a medical facility.

Sometimes people die.

It also allows him to avoid Toriel, who currently works at the check-in desk.  
She comes by the ward when all the other children are sleeping, watching with a certain expression on her face that tugs at your heartstrings in the most uncomfortable way.

They used to have a son, you hear later, but he died a long time ago. Perished at the hand of some incurable disease no doctor in the world could cure yet, not even the illusive Doctor Gaster, whomever that was.

Asriel still dies.

You are not sure why you had hoped this particular part of your vision would have been inaccurate, but it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

For the first time since waking up, you wish you could go back to that world.

* * *

As time passes and moving around becomes easier, you don't have to stay in bed so much anymore.

You follow Sans on his trips to the cafeteria, insist Papyrus spends his breaks helping you solve the junior jumbles (which he doesn't mind, even if he's still no good at them).

Undyne tries to teach you how venipunctures work, almost certainly killing the practice dummy in the process (you sure hope there are no ghosts living in it). Alphys catches you and sends you back to the ward with a heap of manga instead. The next time she comes by to check your charts, the doctor asks you if you read them, then proceeds to gush about how much she likes them without waiting for a response.

Mettaton somehow arranges a talent show in the middle of the hospital. It is one of the happiest days of your life.

* * *

An idea starts to form in your head. It's silly and implausible, quite frankly just plain stupid, but somehow you can't let it go.

Not when you can hear them talking about discharging you and calling the foster home to see what can be arranged.

You know they wouldn't want you back. You're a problem child now. They probably wouldn't even have called the police in the first place if losing a child who has been put under your care by the government wasn't such a frowned upon thing in this society.

Besides, you already have a family. A mismatched, improvised family, but a family none the less.

They just don't know it yet.

* * *

You are now able to move around almost freely throughout the hospital.

You hang around the front desk, forcing Toriel to guide you back to your ward time after time, until the point where she invites to stay until her shift is over, so she can treat you to pie before returning you to your room.

Sans sneaks you out of the hospital one day, because it's snowing outside and you really want to build a snowman. Papyrus nearly has a nervous breakdown when he finally finds you (now having an actual nerve system to do so with).  
The three of you end up in a snowball fight until Undyne comes by and drags you back inside.

You ask Alphys if that manga she showed you has an animé to go with it, and while the poor woman seems ready to sink through the floor with the power of sheer awkwardness, she tells you it does and you can watch it together sometime.

* * *

The discharge papers find themselves being lost or misplaced. There is always an extra test that could be done, another excuse to maybe keep you in the hospital just a while longer.

You find papers and crayons and write down your story, combined with full color illustrations.  
You tittle it Undertale in a fit of creativity.

One day, you will show this to your friends. They will probably laugh and think it wonderful that you are such an imaginative child.

You will smile but keep your secret.

The prospect fills you with determination.

* * *

 **And that's it. Again, please let me know what you think/feel/like/dislike/...  
**

 **On a side note: I purposefully tried to keep the outward appearance of the human/monsters as non-defined as possible, so you can imagine what you want for them. I don't even have my own opinion about how they would look, so...**


End file.
